公开(公告)号：US09759480B2

公开(公告)日：2017-09-12

申请号：US14511774

申请日：2014-10-10

Applicant: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC.

Inventor： Brian Keith Johnson ,  Gowri Krishnamurthy ,  Mark Julian Roberts

IPC: F25J1/00 ,  F25J1/02 ,  F25J3/02

CPC classification number: F25J1/0022 ,  F25J1/0055 ,  F25J1/0092 ,  F25J1/0097 ,  F25J1/0212 ,  F25J1/0214 ,  F25J1/0216 ,  F25J1/0245 ,  F25J1/0248 ,  F25J1/0249 ,  F25J1/025 ,  F25J3/0209 ,  F25J3/0233 ,  F25J3/0238 ,  F25J2200/02 ,  F25J2200/74 ,  F25J2205/30 ,  F25J2210/62 ,  F25J2245/02 ,  F25J2260/20 ,  F25J2270/902 ,  F25J2270/904 ,  F25J2290/62

Abstract: Described herein is a method of removing refrigerant from a natural gas liquefaction system in which vaporized mixed refrigerant is withdrawn from the closed-loop refrigeration circuit and introduced into a distillation column so as to be separated into an overhead vapor enriched in methane and a bottoms liquid enriched in heavier components. Overhead vapor is withdrawn from the distillation column to form a methane enriched stream that is removed from the liquefaction system, and bottoms liquid is reintroduced from the distillation column into the closed-loop refrigeration circuit. Also described are methods of altering the rate of production in a natural gas liquefaction system in which refrigerant is removed as described above, and a natural gas liquefaction systems in which such methods can be carried out.